STILLWATER — Zac Robinson congratulated his buddy Colt McCoy, then waited to do the same with the Texas quarterback's coach.

The Oklahoma State quarterback waited out a television interview before finally speaking with Mack Brown. Then with his teammates long gone from the Boone Pickens Stadium turf, Robinson trotted off the field alone.

A game that held so much promise ended with a thud, a 41-14 loss to Texas. This was a high-stakes contest against a top-caliber opponent. This was a night that OSU needed its stars to shine brightest.

Robinson knew it, too.

"I felt like I would have to play almost a perfect game, run around and make plays," he said.

Robinson needed to be great.

He was anything but.

He played his worst game of the season, throwing four interceptions, two that were returned for touchdowns. He managed only 143 yards passing and 32 yards rushing, a far cry from the eye-popping, head-turning numbers he's posted of late.

To understand how much he struggled, you need only look at two numbers — Robinson's passing yards (143) and the Longhorns' interception return yards (139).

Until late in the fourth quarter, Texas had more yards on interception returns than Robinson had passing.

That's no way to beat the Longhorns.

"The margin of error against a team like this is so small," OSU co-offensive coordinator Gunter Brewer said. "In this type of defense where they put a lot of pressure on you ... we've got to be able to make the plays when we get our opportunities. We didn't come up with those.

"You've got to give them credit, too. They made some plays defensively. Unfortunately when they made them, they ended up either in scores or they were really big. They hurt a lot."

Texas has an outstanding defensive secondary. The Longhorns are fast and quick and athletic. Because of that, they can take chances other defenses can't, jumping a route or breaking on a ball, and oftentimes, they can make plays that offenses don't see coming.

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Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came by her love of sports honestly. She grew up in a sports-loving family in Kansas. Her dad coached baseball and did color commentary on the radio for the high school football...